Construction site health and safety coordinator and plan in Germany: client duties, prior notice and content

What are the SiGeKo and the SiGe-Plan?

The SiGeKo is the health and safety coordinator (Sicherheits- und Gesundheitsschutzkoordinator) under Section 3 of the German Construction Site Ordinance (Baustellenverordnung, BaustellV): they coordinate occupational safety between the companies on a construction site – during planning and later during execution. Their most important tool is the SiGe-Plan: a health and safety plan (Sicherheits- und Gesundheitsschutzplan) that records the work sequences, cross-trade hazards and agreed protective measures for a specific site.

The ordinance is addressed to the client (Bauherr). It applies to every construction project in which structures are built, altered or demolished (Section 1 (3) BaustellV) and does not distinguish between commercial and private clients. The employers on site remain bound by the Occupational Safety and Health Act (ArbSchG) and all other rules – the ordinance adds coordination between the trades on top.

The client's duties at a glance

• Apply the general principles of Section 4 ArbSchG when planning execution, e.g. construction times and the order of work

  Whenon every site

  Legal basisSection 2 (1) BaustellV

• Send prior notice (Vorankündigung) to the authority and display it on site

  Whenmore than 30 working days and more than 20 employees at the same time, or more than 500 person-days

  Legal basisSection 2 (2) BaustellV

• Appoint one or more suitable coordinators

  Whenemployees of more than one employer on site

  Legal basisSection 3 (1) BaustellV

• Have a health and safety plan drawn up before the site is set up

  Whenmore than one employer and prior notice or particularly hazardous work under Annex II

  Legal basisSection 2 (3) BaustellV

• Have the file for subsequent work on the structure compiled

  Whena task of the coordinator, so always when there is more than one employer

  Legal basisSection 3 (2) no. 3 BaustellV

• Inform the only employer about the conditions on the site that would belong in a health and safety plan

  Whenonly one employer, but prior notice or Annex II work

  Legal basisSection 2 (4) BaustellV

Prior notice: thresholds and content

Prior notice must reach the competent occupational safety authority of the federal state, such as the trade supervisory office, at least two weeks before the site is set up. It is required if the work is expected to last more than 30 working days with more than 20 employees working at the same time – or if it exceeds 500 person-days. An example: if on average 8 people work for 70 working days, that makes 560 person-days. Prior notice is required even though there are never more than 20 employees on site at once. Annex I BaustellV lists the minimum details:

• location of the site and type of construction project
• name and address of the client and, where applicable, of the commissioned third party
• name and address of the coordinator
• expected start and duration of the work
• expected maximum number of employees on site
• number of employers and self-employed contractors expected on site, plus the companies already selected

The prior notice is displayed visibly on site and updated in the event of significant changes. Anyone who fails to send it, sends it incorrectly or late, or builds without a required health and safety plan commits an administrative offence (Section 7 BaustellV); the fine can be up to 5,000 euros (Section 25 (2) ArbSchG). If an employee's life or health is endangered intentionally in the process, it is a criminal offence (Section 26 no. 2 ArbSchG).

When a health and safety plan is mandatory

A health and safety plan is required if employees of more than one employer work on the site and, in addition, prior notice is required or particularly hazardous work under Annex II is planned. It must be in place before the site is set up, show the applicable occupational safety rules and contain special measures for the hazardous work (Section 2 (3) BaustellV). Annex II covers:

• risk of sinking in or being buried in excavations or trenches more than 5 m deep, or of falling from a height of more than 7 m
• biological agents of risk groups 3 or 4 and certain hazardous substances: explosives, flammable liquids and acutely toxic substances of category 1 or 2, carcinogenic, germ cell mutagenic or reprotoxic substances of category 1A or 1B
• ionising radiation requiring controlled or supervised areas
• work less than 5 m from high-voltage lines and work with an immediate risk of drowning
• well construction, underground earthworks and tunnelling, work with diving equipment and in compressed air
• work with explosives or detonating cords
• erecting or dismantling solid construction elements that, because of their mass, are lifted or moved with power-driven equipment

What goes into the health and safety plan (RAB 31)

1. 1

   Identify the work sequences

   Break the work down by trade, for example earthworks, shell construction, scaffolding, roof, façade, interior finishing and building services.

2. 2

   Identify cross-trade hazards

   From the hazards of the individual trades, derive those that affect others: simultaneous work in the same place, hazards one trade leaves behind for the next – such as open floor openings – local conditions such as utility lines, and hazards from third parties such as ongoing operations or public traffic.

3. 3

   Assign them in space and time

   Show interactions in a construction schedule, usually a bar chart for building construction and, for linear sites, also a time-distance diagram.

4. 4

   Define measures

   Agree coordinated measures and shared facilities – scaffolds, fall protection, traffic routes, site power, sanitary and first aid facilities – with responsibilities and time periods.

5. 5

   Name the occupational safety rules

   Assign the relevant regulation or rule to each measure, for example the Technical Rule for Workplaces ASR A2.1 for fall protection.

RAB 31 does not prescribe a format; a suitably extended construction schedule is sufficient. The plan is a living document: it is updated when the planning changes and during execution and should be available for inspection on site during working hours. Measures that are solely each employer's responsibility – instruction, safe work equipment, PPE – do not belong in it.

Tasks and qualifications of the coordinator

• Planning of execution

  Tasks under Section 3 BaustellVcoordinate the measures under Section 2 (1), draw up or have drawn up the health and safety plan, compile the file for subsequent work

  Typical implementation under RAB 30advise on scheduling, site set-up and tendering, help prepare the prior notice

• Execution

  Tasks under Section 3 BaustellVcoordinate application of the principles of Section 4 ArbSchG, check that employers meet their duties, adapt the plan, organise cooperation, coordinate monitoring of work methods

  Typical implementation under RAB 30publicise the plan, hold safety meetings and site inspections with minutes, request evidence from the companies

Under RAB 30, a coordinator is suitable if they are sufficiently qualified for the specific site and can devote enough time to it. The rule names four building blocks:

• construction expertise, usually from training as an architect, engineer, technician, master craftsperson or certified site foreman (geprüfter Polier)
• occupational safety knowledge under Annex B – for newcomers a course of at least 32 teaching units
• specific coordinator knowledge under Annex C, also at least 32 teaching units
• at least two years of professional experience in planning or executing construction projects

For simple projects such as detached and small multi-family houses or smaller commercial buildings, Annex A names certified site foreman, master craftsperson or technician as the minimum training; for all other projects, usually architect or engineer. There is no state certificate; knowledge is demonstrated through qualifications, course certificates and references.

File for subsequent work

The file for subsequent work (Unterlage für spätere Arbeiten) records how maintenance, inspection and repair can be carried out safely on the finished building – such as cleaning gutters, maintaining façades or cleaning skylights. The coordinator compiles it during planning, so it is always required when more than one employer is involved. Under RAB 32 it contains at least:

• the part of the structure, for example roof, façade or lift
• the type of subsequent work
• the hazards, for example falls from height
• the health and safety information, such as anchor points, roof hatches or standing areas for mobile elevating work platforms

The client receives the file at the latest when the project is completed and passes it on to any later operator or buyer. Compiling it early allows safety facilities such as anchor points to be included in the tender straight away.

Checklist: Construction Site Ordinance for clients

• Checked whether employees of more than one employer will work on site – subcontractors included
• Duration, simultaneous workforce and person-days estimated
• Annex II work identified, including solid construction elements placed by crane
• Suitable coordinator for planning and execution appointed in writing
• Prior notice sent at least two weeks before set-up and displayed
• Health and safety plan drawn up before the site is set up and communicated to the companies
• Plan content included in tenders and contracts
• Regular safety meetings and site inspections agreed
• Plan updated when the construction sequence changes
• File for subsequent work handed over and archived for the operator

Free templates for this guide

As PDF and Excel, free – to use in your own company.

• Safety instruction

  Contractor safety briefing template (PDF) with attendance list

  PDFFree download
• Organisation

  Construction health and safety plan template (PDF & Excel) under the German Construction Site Ordinance

  PDF + ExcelFree download
• Testing duties

  Scaffold inspection report template (PDF) for scaffold erectors and users

  PDFFree download

Frequently asked questions